The problem here is that we don't know if the request from the hotel is to identify the guest or to make sure the credit card belongs to the guest. Do people prepaying, or people paying cash get asked for ID's at the hotels asking for ID's? I bet they do, as I would guess the hotel has been asked to ask for ID's for all guests, not just those paying by credit card.

The rules that Mastercard and Visa have are completly ignored by merchants out there. Many people don't sign their credit cards, and use a second ID to show their signature. See it all the time, though don't see how that helps them, if I took their card I'd sign it and the signature would then be a perfect match.

Many merchants ask for ID's with credit cards (hell, some even have signs posted saying they will), and I don't think either Visa or Mastercard is willing to go after all them all and tell them not to.

Many merchants don't give a care in the world what the signature on the card looks like, I have never had the grocery store, for example, ever touch the card once I've swiped it in the reader. Again, there isn't any signature match at all, as they have never even seen the card.

So while people can quote all the MasterCard and Visa rules, they don't apply in real life, nor do we even know if this Photo ID thing that some Hiltons have started doing has anything at all to do with paying by credit card.